Neepo and big sister Khosi spend a relaxing afternoon at the Safari Park after her procedure.

Today, August 29, 2013, Khosi, a 6-year-old African elephant at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, had a procedure to remove the distinctive metal cap that was protecting the tip of her right tusk. After radiographs were taken of her tusk at the beginning of August to determine the growth of the dentine bridge, our veterinarians concluded that it had filled in enough to safely remove the cap.

Keepers have been training Khosi for the procedure for the last three weeks, and today it was removed without any problems. She is now a little more difficult to identify without the metal cap! Khosi is now back out with the herd and enjoying all the treats that were set out for them today.

35 Reader Comments

What a beautiful photo, at first I thought it’s some type of oil-like painint, it almost has some fatasy land feel.

I saw Khosi earlier, seeing her right task, I know it’s Khosi, not Moose. I feel something different but did not realize that it is the cap, it’s gone. Indeed, her right task looked much shorter now.

Little Nisa is trying out her mightly 1-year old elephant strength. She tries to toss up a big piece wood that is longer and wider than her little trunk. She tried that jump motion with her trunk, almost like trying to kick start the wood.

Without any success with tossing the big piece, she managed to peel off a pretty big piece of the wood and then happily toss this smaller piece to the air. She practiced this action for 5-6 times. This makes me once again marvel at how mature an elephant baby is.

Aura

Posted August 29, 2013 at 6:36 PM

It’s only couple days ago, I saw Nisa training her Momie Swazi to let her nurse in a comfortable position now she is taller. At first she pass through Mama Swazi under her belly. Instead lowering herself a bit, she fully extend her height under Mama’s belly, making sure that she can feel that she is taller. After coming out from one side, she then went backwards under Mama’s belly in the same fashion. Ok, this is to make sure Momie know that she is taller now.

She then raise her trunk and pressed the full trunk side against Mama’s front leg. At first Swazi did not move and Kami behind her touched her tail part trying to comfort her, wondering what was wrong. Nisa quickly gave Kami a big side swing motion of her trunk as if to tell Kami not to distract her, she has urgent need to nurse. She then swung her trunk back quickly and pressed her full trunk side on Mama Swazi’s front leg again, this time Swazi got it and promptly stick her leg outward to let Nisa comfortable position herself under her belly to nurse.

After a while, Nisa moved to the other side and continued the same process.

Today, I saw Swazi stick out her front leg promptly when Nisa wanting to nurse without having to have her press her little trunk against her front leg first.

Chari Mercier

Posted August 29, 2013 at 6:40 PM

I’m glad that Khosi’s tusk is doing good and the cap is gone! I’m sure that Khosi is pretty glad to get that slightly heavy thing off of her!
A day late, but happy 1st birthday to Qinisa!! I thought her birthday was today, but it was yesterday! Anyway, I hope that she had a fun day with her mom, brother, aunts, nieces, nephews, and stepdad Msholo, and had enough bday snacks to last her thru the day!
Any news of any momma ellies being pregnant yet? Let us know!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL

Monitor’s note: There are no elephant pregnancies to report, Chari.

Poppy

Posted August 29, 2013 at 6:54 PM

Thank you so much for the new blog, Mindy!

Khosi was such a brave girl for all of her tusk procedures. It’s great to read that she handled this one so well. I didn’t know that the metal cap could be removed. I hope that her other tusk will grow out so that eventually she might have almost matching tusks.

Happy belated birthday to little Nisa! It was so exciting when she was born last year and was immediately so advanced. She is still our little princess.

Thank you and all the keepers and vets for taking such good care of these wonderful ellies!

Jan

Posted August 29, 2013 at 7:53 PM

I didn’t get to watch the cam all day as I normally do, so I didn’t noticed Khosi’s metal cap had been removed. Thanks for letting us know Mindy, we all can’t tell you enough how much we respect you and all the keepers, for taking good care of these wonderful Ellies.
Glad to hear Khosi’s tusk has healed and she’s doing well.
I have trouble figuring out who all the little boys are, unless their following their Mama around, it is then I know who they are.
This morning, Ndlula and Moose shared a few flakes of hay together for a good long while. They were standing side by side. Mother and son, it was sweet to see. Then Luti showed up, squirmed between them and joined in for a bit. I think he nursed a bit too, couldn’t really see but it looked like it.

East Coast Elephant Fan

Posted August 30, 2013 at 8:06 AM

Thank you Mindy for the update about Khosi’s tusk cap….. which also answers my question in the previous blog, even before I had posted it. Great to hear that the cap was removed by the veterinarians, rather than being broken off during one of Khosi’s rough-housing antics..

Jan

Posted August 30, 2013 at 1:23 PM

Trying to catch a look of Khosi with out her cap. I keep missing it. However, just saw Ndula get sprayed with a water hose by one of the Lady keepers. Ndula stepped closer get sprayed and enjoyed it.

Thank you webcam operator for letting us see this! It was a real treat as I’ve never actually seen one of our SFSP Ellies do this.

Erin

Posted August 30, 2013 at 6:07 PM

Just read this post and saw Khosi with her metal cap. Khosi has lost her bling.

eric brumley

Posted August 30, 2013 at 6:43 PM

Hello –
We noticed that there are a couple of deer in with the elephants. Just curious to know if they just wandered over from another exhibit.
thanks!

Poppy

Posted August 30, 2013 at 7:38 PM

Hi Eric, These are just the local deer that hop the fences to share the ellies hay. It sure looks realistic though, as though there are some African antelope in among the African elephants. The herd tolerates them but once in a while one of the kids will try to chase one.

Sandy

Posted August 31, 2013 at 8:33 AM

I have come to appreciate elephants because of this cam! I have fallen in love with these and just love their different personalities! It is so much fun to watch them in the water. I never knew that elephants played in the water like that! Thanks once again for the cam!

Don Stillwell

Posted August 31, 2013 at 11:13 AM

These are California Mule deer. They and their ancestors were residents of the area long before it became a park. I have seen as many as 12 mule deer, including one with 12 points, in the park with the African elephants at the same time. Once, one of the smaller elephants was chasing 2 of them towards the further end of the field (where the structure is), when all of a sudden he turned around abruptly and soon you could see 3 deer chasing him! The mule deer definitely like the beet pulp the keepers put out for the elephants!

Hey, Mama Swazi just got a spontaneous thorough spray water shower from the keep who was cleaning the area that is probably the sleeping place ellies sometime uses.

Seeing Mama Swazi and kids approaching to investigate, keeper raised the water hose to give them some spraying water fun, surprisingly, little Nisa was a bit afraid and moved aside to avoid the water gun. Mama Swazi stood really close to the structure and welcomed the water. She moved herself around to get all sides of her body covered. At one point she even lowered her head to let the Keeper cover the top of her head.

Teresa C

Posted August 31, 2013 at 3:18 PM

I saw that too and was surprised that Emanti also didn’t seem to want any part of it.

~I’m so happy to know that all is well again with Khosi’s tusk.

Jan

Posted August 31, 2013 at 3:29 PM

Just saw Nisa try to walk under her Mama. (She gotten too big to do that anymore.) Swazi looked like she sucked her belly in to help her through! It was work for Nisa, but that cutie made it!

Too cute!

Teresa C

Posted August 31, 2013 at 3:32 PM

Seeing the elies up at the barn gates I was hoping we were going to get to watch some training. I haven’t seen that in a long time. About 6? months ago Swazi was in a training session up at the barn and the keeper was asking her to put her front foot up on the gate. Right foot, left foot, right foot, etc. Little Nisa was being very patient and just standing nearby while mom was working with the keeper. And then my heart about burst from cuteness overload…..Little Nisa took a few steps away from mom and lifted her left front foot up high…put it down and lifted it up high again. It was just so sweet. Makes me wonder how she’s doing with following direction.

Poppy

Posted August 31, 2013 at 5:05 PM

How cute! I remember Neepo doing this when he was a tiny tot and his mom was being trained. He put his little foot up on the bars just like mom. It was just precious!

Don Stillwell

Posted August 31, 2013 at 8:04 PM

Just got through reading the blog. Thanks for sharing!

Don Stillwell

Posted August 31, 2013 at 8:16 PM

Very interesting! The oldest blog I can get back to is January 2009! This one is 2008! Do you have a secret formula for getting back to older blogs that you would share? It would be great to be able to read blogs from 2004 to 2009 to cover the births of all the babies born at the Park!

East Coast Elephant Fan

Posted September 1, 2013 at 9:05 AM

No secret formula, Although I had never noticed before, but the blogs from 2003-2008 are listed below under the ARCHIVES heading on the bottom right on this current web page.

Aura

Posted September 1, 2013 at 11:07 AM

What a fun read, thanks for sharing.

Don, unfortunately, there are very few blogs on elephant prior to 2009
here are the entries I found in 2008. You can copy the above url in your browser first and then before hitting enter, replace the year, month, day and title listed below. Please remember to use the exact format as in the url. I really enjoyed the last one with title “elephants calves are fast learners”.

I keep seeing a rooty type thing up on the path near the top of the hill in the camera playground. It is pointy and large enough, in my opinion, to be a tripping hazard. I have not seen one elephant take the least interest in it. What is it, and what is it used for? Thanks in advance…

Jan

Posted September 1, 2013 at 8:05 PM

I think you may be referring to the root/bottom of a tree. I saw Nisa this evening, toying with it, I guess trying to eat parts of it. While she tried eating it she crossed her back right leg over her left. It came un-done. She then proceeded to cross higher, as if that would stick it in position. She was cute. She is becoming more interested in things it seems to me. I see her at times mimicking BIG Ellie behaviors, and she is venturing further away from Swazi, and doing her own thing.

Eli

Posted September 2, 2013 at 10:44 AM

I saw Nisa playing with it too and immediately thought how I had stated not a single elephant has shown any interest in it Goes to show….

East Coast Elephant Fan

Posted September 2, 2013 at 11:05 AM

Maybe it’s just my imagination due to the spate of damaged tusk incidents this year… . but does Moose’s previously broken left tusk look a bit shorter, and also appears to have a more blunt end than it did before now. ?

Erin

Posted September 2, 2013 at 12:50 PM

Massive pool party going on. Ndula went for a dip and then she started her elephant hijinks. Running to and fro, spinning in circles and pulling the feigning fear expression. That must have been a refreshing dip for her today.

Jan

Posted September 2, 2013 at 1:10 PM

I just saw that!!! Yes, she was feeling her oats! Walking backwards and picking up those back legs, kicking and swinging her feet around. What a nut! I had never seen her at that way, as I’ve been watching since April. I’m used to seeing her calm.

Lana in the East

Posted September 2, 2013 at 1:46 PM

I was just wondering the same thing about Musi’s tusks! Checked the blog to see if anyone else had noticed. Maybe it’s the camera-angles but I don’t think so… Deja-vu after seeing Khosi without her cap and wondering if I was imagining that. Much enjoyed seeing Ndula acting like a “kid”–been awhile since she went into her race-and-spin routine with “imaginary enemies.”

Aura

Posted September 2, 2013 at 2:43 PM

yes, ‘imaginary enemies’, that’s the word. Mama N could be a stupendous warrior. Glad that she got to break her routine and have some great fun of warrior dance. Underneath her calmness, I would have never imagined that she could explodes with such energy.

Magic pool, what splendid fun ellies have made out of you!

Lana in the East

Posted September 2, 2013 at 3:23 PM

Wish I could take credit for the “imaginary enemies” phrase–I put quotation marks because it’s something Cynthia Moss said about one of the calves at Amboseli when he was playing. Perfect description of that sort of behavior!

Don Stillwell

Posted September 2, 2013 at 5:39 PM

That was quite interesting about the archives listing. I did a little playing around with September 2006 (got a lot I wasn’t interested in, but got one when Khosi was just a week old). This one entry was worth all the time I had spent. This is pretty much a hit or miss approach but I was a lot of interesting things while looking, including baby hippos! I also tried September 2007 but have not yet found anything on Kami.
I saw several items about Pandas and saw some orange flamingoes at the zoo.
If you have curiosity and a little spare time, who knows what you might discover. Happy hunting!

Don Stillwell

Posted September 2, 2013 at 5:57 PM

Click on Khosi and her tusk blog. Go to bottom of blog and look for archives on the right. Click on 2006. The second blog that comes up is the blog on Khosi! Read it and the comments connected to it, especially the part about Khosi growing about twice as fast in her first 3 months as Moose did in his first 3 months. People had interesting comments in those days, too!

Jan

Posted September 3, 2013 at 12:04 PM

Another pool party today! Not as big and long as yesterday’s but Ndula was a bit frisky, and got in the middle of it. Maybe the heats getting to her.

Was that little Nisa, running and sliding down the hill to join the pool party? Some Ellie did. I couldn’t tell from the camera angle being back so far.

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